Strangers on the Horizon
by Reiji Neko Mitsukai
Summary: A mysterious female appears. Who is she? And could she be a sign of trouble ahead? R&R please
1. A Sayian Stranger

Strangers on the Horizon  
  
Part 1: A Sayian Stranger  
  
Gohan and Krillin both concentrated hard. Vegeta watched on with a bored expression. Goku and Chichi had asked Krillin to keep an eye on Gohan while they were gone on a small trip. Krillin agreed and asked Gohan if he would like to have a mini-battle at Master Roshi's, just for practice. Gohan agreed and they called Master Roshi to make sure it was okay with him. He gladly agreed and they flew over. Vegeta was already over there with Bulma, who was having a leisurely chat with Master Roshi. That was nearly three hours ago. Bulma was now looking out the window, watching Gohan and Krillin practice, Vegeta leaning against the side of the house, and still having a conversation with Master Roshi. Suddenly, the phone rang. Master Roshi left to answer it, leaving Bulma to think. She looked at Gohan and thought, All that power in an 11 year old boy? What is this world coming to? Then she looked at Vegeta. Speaking of which, she thought with a small smile. Her thoughts were broken  
with the sound of the door opening and closing. "Gohan, Krillin, Goku just called. He said they're back and to send Gohan home." "OK," said Krillin  
  
Gohan and Krillin were ¼ of the way there when Vegeta appeared flying beside them. "Vegeta? Why are you coming with us?" "I need to have a word with Goku, do you have a problem with that?" "No, hey, who's that?" Out of the corner of his eye, Krillin saw what looked like a human. "Who would want to be walking out here?" asked Gohan. "I don't know. Maybe we should ask whoever it is down there who they are and where they're going." All three flew down. They landed in front of the person. They saw it was a girl. She looked to be 14 or 15 years old. But what caught their attention was her blonde hair. She stopped a few feet in front of them. "Uh, excuse me, but, who are you?" Krillin managed to ask. She looked at him and said, "My name is not important." "Why are you out here?" asked Gohan. "I am looking for the one named Goku." Why? Are you an android?" asked Vegeta with arms crossed. She looked straight into Vegeta's eyes. Their eyes locked. It was a second before Vegeta  
recognized something. Something about her, He thought as his arms uncrossed. Something so familiar, "No. I am not an android. Goku is famous where I come from." "Where are you from, anyway?" asked Gohan. "That is not important either." "Well, we were just heading over to Goku's house." Krillin pointed towards the direction they were going. "Thanks. I will see you there." She turned and walked off towards the direction Krillin had pointed. Krillin looked at Gohan and Vegeta with a confused look. He looked back at the girl walking away. "Hey, you want one of us to fly you there? I'll get you there faster." She stopped and looked back. "No, I will get there." All three guys looked at each other, more confused. Krillin shrugged his shoulders. They looked back, and she was gone. "Huh? Where'd she go?"  
  
The rest of the trip was uneventful. As they neared Goku's house, they saw Goku standing in his yard, talking to the girl they had met earlier. She watched them as they landed. "Hey guys!" said Goku. "How long has she been here?" asked Vegeta. "A few minutes at least. She just walked up and said she needed to talk to me." Vegeta was getting tense. He didn't like things he didn't understand, and this was beyond understanding. He was going to get some answers, even if he had to fight her for them. "Alright. I've had enough of this." He stormed over to her and clenched his fists. The girl's expression was emotionless. Vegeta was a little surprised but he didn't show it. "You've been holding this charade for far too long. I want answers and I want them NOW." She was still looking at him, face still emotionless. With hands on her hips, she leaned forward until her face was no more than two inches from his. "You want answers? I will give you answers." She straightened her posture.  
"My name is Dua. I am from a government facility a little ways from here. One half of that building is a high-security prison for our most dangerous prisoners. I am sure Vegeta's familiar with that building, right?" Vegeta was tense. He was on the verge of lunging at her and pummeling her into the ground. Dua looked at him from the corner of her eye and a corner of her mouth lifted into a smirk. "So, you haven't told them about that yet? Perhaps they would like to know about it? I know Bulma and Trunks would love to hear about it. I am sure Piccolo would like to know too." Those last two sentences caught them by surprise. Not only the fact about Vegeta, but the fact that she knew all their names. "Enough explaining and get to the point!" snarled Vegeta. Dua's smirk disappeared. "Very well then." She turned to face Vegeta. "I was sent from that government building as a bounty hunter. My orders are to hunt Vegeta down and bring him back, dead or alive." Vegeta's eyes widened,  
then he relaxed. His usual smirk appeared. He stuck out both wrists and said, "Arrest away." Dua proceeded to take out a pair of handcuffs and put them on his wrists. All at once, his smirk faded and he grabbed her hands. With a leap, he flipped onto his hands, taking Dua with him. With another leap, he landed on his feet and used his arms to swing Dua hard into the ground. He let her hands fall from his. She appeared motionless. Vegeta broke the chain on the handcuffs. "Vegeta! What have you done? You could have killed her!" yelled Goku. "Good. Hope I did." He turned to face Goku. All of a sudden, Vegeta felt something knock his feet out from under him. He fell face first into the dirt. When he got up, he saw Dua dusting herself off. "What? She's not even bruised!" said Krillin. "How?" Dua finished dusting herself off. "You put up a good fight Vegeta. Let's continue this away from civilians, shall we?" "Ladies first," said Vegeta through clenched teeth. Dua turned away and  
started walking. "Oh, by the way," she stopped and looked over her shoulder. "I forgot to tell you something about me." She looked forward and flew off. All four of the guy's jaws dropped. "Impossible!" said Vegeta before he followed her. "Come on, let's go." Goku started to fly off after them. Krillin and Gohan followed him.  
  
They found them in a dry, desert like area. The fight had already started. Vegeta threw a punch, and Dua dodged it. She kicked him, he dodged. With arms and legs moving almost too fast to see, it was too hard to tell who was winning. Suddenly they flew away from each other and landed a distance away. Vegeta again had that cocky smirk. Then his jaw dropped a little and his eyes widened. Dua had the exact same smirk on her face. Vegeta's eyes narrowed and clenched his jaw. He charged at her, flat out running. The smirk on Dua's face remained. Vegeta drew back a fist when he was close to her, ready to throw a hard punch, when Dua seemed to erupt with yellow flames of power. Vegeta was blown back 20 feet. All of the guy's jaws dropped. "What? A female Super Sayian?" snarled Vegeta. "Impossible!" The others just stared. Dua was still looking only at Vegeta. "What could be the matter, Prince of all Sayians? Not expecting to lose today?" Vegeta kept silent but struggled to hold his  
position. He suddenly relaxed and said, "Good show, child. But you are missing one important detail." Vegeta powered up. With a burst of power, Vegeta was a Super Sayian. The cocky smirk on Dua's face turned into a cocky smile. "My orders are dead or alive. And I will follow those orders." Vegeta folded his arms. "You won't kill me. You may be a Super Sayian, but you are still just a child." "Pay attention, Vegeta, and you might learn something." The fight started up again. Gohan watched as Dua dodged one of Vegeta's punches and her kick connected with the side of his head. Goku felt Gohan powering up. He put a hand on Gohan's shoulder. "No, Gohan." "But-" "Vegeta got himself into this, now he has to get himself out." Gohan powered down and watched.  
  
The fight lasted for a while. Vegeta was getting more and more frustrated. Only two of his punches were connecting. With those two punches, though, cane two kicks to his side. Vegeta threw a punch at her. She caught it with her hand, then gave him a kick sending him flying. He slowed to a stop and flew top speed towards her, fist extended in front of him. At the very last second, Dua grabbed his fist and twisted it to the side, while kneeing him in the stomach, hard. Vegeta fell to his knees, one hand holding him up, one holding his stomach, and gasping for breath. "Well? Are you ready to give up?" Between gasps for breath, he managed to say, "Never. Over...my...dead body...will... I... go back... to that...place." The cocky smile long since faded, Dua looked at him with an emotionless face. "As you wish." She flew up and backwards a distance. Vegeta was still trying to catch his breath. Dua folded her hands inches from her face. "Yaaaaaaaaaa..." She slowly pulled her hands  
apart, a yellow glow emanating as claws from her fingertips. "Heeeeeeeeeeee..." She crossed her arms like an X across her chest, hands hovering over her shoulders. "Maaaaaaaaaaaaa..." With a sudden movement, she straitened her arms, throwing the energy like ripping claws at Vegeta. "KAAAAAAAAAAAA!" The intense light made Goku, Gohan, and Krillin shield their eyes. Vegeta had just caught his breath when he looked up. The last thing Goku saw of Vegeta before the blast hit him was the look of surprise and terror in his eyes.  
  
Goku couldn't tell if the sound coming from the flash of light was Vegeta's cry of pain or the scream of energy. After the light faded, a light breeze started to blow the clouds of dust away. Vegeta was lying on his side. His hair had faded back to black. Krillin, Goku, and Gohan could only stare. "I-I don't believe it," Said Gohan. "She did it. She beat Vegeta." Dua lowered herself down and powered down. She walked over to Vegeta and picked him up by his waist. She finally turned to look at the three guys. "Thanks for not getting involved." With that, she flew off.  
  
Dua had flown for nearly an hour before she was expecting to see the government building. She thought about how proud her mother would be. And then she would tell Tehyin all about it. And then, before Lights Out, she would visit with Kentar. Of course, she'd have to find time before the Evening Meal to visit #423. She was looking forward to seeing them all. But when she looked ahead, she nearly dropped the still unconscious Vegeta. The building was destroyed. She landed a few yards away from the building and dropped the unconscious Vegeta. Her home, her life, was now ashes. "No. It can not be!" She ran into the ashes. "MOTHER! KENTAR!" Dua's mind was racing so fast, she didn't realize Vegeta had woke up, realized what was happening, and flew away. Dua looked around for any signs of life. She was startled when something hit her leg. She looked down and saw a hunter green colored emblem, similar to hers, with burnt edges. She read the name on it. Kentar. She picked it up. No.  
Not Kentar. He did not deserve it. Why did he have to die? Her mind was still looking for an answer. Someone had attacked and burned it down. But who...? The answer hit her like a ton of bricks. Her head turned to look up at the now starry night sky. She took a deep breath, and screamed.  
  
"FREEEEEEEEEEEEEZAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!"  
  
Vegeta stopped in mid flight and looked back. Freeza? What did he have to do with it? 


	2. A Sayian's Family

Strangers on the Horizon  
  
Part 2: A Sayian's Family  
  
Krillin looked at the clock. It was getting late. "I'd better go. It's getting late." "Ok, bye. See you tomorrow, Krillin." "Bye." Krillin shut the door behind him. He flew off, but instead of going directly home, he took a detour over the desert. He needed to think about what happened today. He had flown nearly an hour before he reached a stone peak. Atop the peak was a familiar figure. He stopped a few yards away from her. Behind her was a full moon, so all Krillin could see was her silhouette. A wind started blowing from behind her, blowing her hair into her face. "Dua?" She was silent. Then, "I could end it all now. All I need to do is one step back and it would be all over." Krillin looked at the sharp, jagged rocks below her. "Why would you?" Dua didn't move. "It was all destroyed. My home, my family, my friends, my life, they were all gone." She shifted one foot slightly behind her. "You wouldn't, would you?" asked Krillin. "No. Not unless it would help us defeat  
him." "Him?" "I am not in the liberty to say." She moved her arms into the moonlight. Krillin saw that she was holding something. "I have no place to eat, no place to sleep, no place to live." Krillin thought for a minute. "I have an idea. Follow me." Dua flew off the peak and Krillin headed the way he came. Dua flew up beside him. "Where are we going?" "You'll see."  
  
Krillin knocked on Goku's door. Goku opened the door to see Krillin a little out of breath. "Krillin, why are you back?" "I met Dua on the way back. The government building was destroyed. She has no home." "Well, where is she now?" Krillin stepped to his left and looked to his right. "Come on," Dua reluctantly stepped into view. Goku looked at her carefully. She looked tired. Her eyelids were starting to drop. "Chichi, do we have any extra blankets?" "In the closet," "Come in." said Goku. Dua carefully stepped into the house. "Gohan, time for bed." "Aw mom," Dua followed Goku and Krillin to Gohan's room. Goku entered the room, but Krillin and Dua stayed behind. Dua peeked in just as Chichi kissed Gohan on the forehead. Dua's mind flashed back to the last time she had seen her mother. She had kissed #423 on the forehead, just like Chichi did. It hit her just then. Dua started to back away. "I-I am sorry. I need to do something, I will be back." With that, she turned and ran  
out the door. "423! Tehyin!" She flew off. Krillin followed her.  
  
It was nearly an hour before Dua landed again. Krillin landed just as she started to dig though the ash. "Dua! Wait!" "Stay here!" said Dua. Krillin watched as she disappeared into a hole in the ground. Krillin peeked in to see a flight of spiral steps. Dua ran down those steps as fast as she could. Once she reached the bottom, she ran along the rows until she found who she was looking for. "Tehyin!" She scooped up the 9 year old boy and ran back up the steps to see Krillin waiting for her. "Take him! I will be back!" she handed the boy to Krillin. She ran back down the flight of stairs. Once she reached the bottom, she ran back down the rows and went down another flight of stairs. When she reached the bottom, she ran down a row until she reached a certain crib. "423!" She wrapped the 2 year old girl in her ruby colored blanket and held her close. Dua began her journey back to the surface for the last time.  
  
While Krillin was waiting for Dua to come back up, he got a good look at the boy in his arms. He looked to be about 8 or 9 years old. His hair, although blonde, reminded him a little of Gohan. They boy's power was, for how old he looked, amazing. He would have been a Super Sayian in days. Why is Dua worried about this boy? When Dua came up, she had something wrapped up in a ruby colored blanket. "That is all of them. Let's go." They flew off, heading towards Goku's house again. Krillin looked at the bundle in Dua held close to her. He was surprised when a small voice came from the bundle. "Mommy?" "No. It is me, Dua." "Dua?" "Yes. Now go back to sleep, we will be there soon." Krillin spoke up. "Uh, Dua, who are these kids?" "They are my brother and sister. The boy you are holding is Tehyin. She is #423." "Why is she called #423?" "We are a number until we start training. Then we are given a name." "Oh." 


	3. Freeza is Back

Strangers on the Horizon  
  
Part 3: Freeza is Back  
  
It was another hour before they arrived at Goku's house. Dua shifted #423 to one arm and knocked on the door. The door opened a little and Chichi peeked out. She saw the unconscious boy, and let them in. "Goku told me the whole story. Put them on the couch." Krillin and Dua carefully walked into the living room and set them on opposite sides of the couch. Chichi wrung water out of a washcloth. She had just started her way back to the living room when the phone rang. "Goku, can you get that?" "Sure" Goku answered the phone. "Hello?" "Goku?" "Hey Bulma." "Have you seen Vegeta?" "Well, you know Vegeta. He tends to run off sometimes." "I know that tone of voice. You know something about him." "Well, it's a long story." "Oh, wait, her he comes. Never mind. Thanks anyway, Goku." "Yea, don't mention it." Chichi carefully placed the damp, cool cloth on the young boy's forehead. "What are their names?" Dua looked at the little girl. "The boy is Tehyin. She, does not have a name. We  
are a number until we start training. Then we receive a name." "Well, why don't you name her now?" asked Goku, who had just joined them. "I am afraid I am not very good at names." "Well, you can name her after someone who was special to you," suggested Krillin. Dua thought for a few seconds. "Meyin. It was my mother's name." Chichi removed the cool cloth and felt the boy's forehead. "He's got a fever. Who on earth would want to hurt such darling kids?" Dua's eyes narrowed in anger. "A monster. A vile creature with nothing but destruction on its mind." "Who?" asked Goku. Dua looked away. "I can not say. I am not supposed to tell anyone about what happens in the base." "Dua, the base is gone. No one here can stop you from telling us anything. We need to know." Dua looked down. "Freeza. Freeza is the murderer. He is the vile creature that destroys innocent lives like Tehyin and Meyin. He is the cold-blooded killer that murdered my comrades, my friend, and my mother. The  
ungrateful murderer that killed those who brought him back to life." "They what??" "It has been the base's most horrible secret. No one outside the facility can possibly know about it. And it all happened because of one person." "Who?" asked Chichi. Dua looked ashamed. "I would rather not tell anyone, for the sake of my siblings and I." Chichi looked at the clock. "It's getting late. We should all be getting sleep." Goku walked to the closet and took two blankets from the closet. "You can sleep on the other couch. We still have Gohan's old crib for Meyin." Goku handed one blanket to Dua. "Thanks," said Dua. She laid down on the couch while Chichi carefully put a blanket on Tehyin. It wasn't too long before Dua was asleep.  
  
Dua's dreams had been haunting her since she was little. This one was a little different. She saw the base blow up. She sat the panic of the defenseless when they realized the hallways were being flooded by fire. She heard and saw her mother's screams as the flames trapped her at a dead end. But above all, she saw and heard Freeza's laughter. He was enjoying it. He was enjoying every single moment of his manslaughter.  
  
Dua woke with a start. She shot into a sitting up position. Her eyes adjusted to the dim light before her breathing slowed down. After she did calm down, she looked around. She saw Tehyin sleeping on the couch. Beside the couch was a crib. Dua pulled the blankets off her and walked to the crib. Meyin lay there, sleeping peacefully. Dua pulled the covers up to Meyin's neck and pushed a still-growing strand of hair out of her face. She moved in front of the couch. Her little brother was the only other child with Sayian capabilities. Although he had a different hairstyle than his sisters, Dua still cherished him. He and Meyin are all she had left. She felt a sudden warmth on her face. She looked out the window to see the sun rising. She heard a noise coming form the crib. She walked over to it and saw her sister look up at her. "Dua?" "Yes. It is me, Dua." Dua carefully picked her up and out of the crib. Dua sat down on the couch she had slept on. "Dua, where are we?" "We are  
at a friends house." Dua started to explain to Meyin her name while she waited.  
  
It was a while before anyone else woke up. Chichi had made breakfast and soon everyone had finished. Dua had just put her bowl into the sink when Chichi asked, "Who wants to help me with the dishes?" Both Goku and Gohan were out the door before Chichi finished her sentence. Dua watched the door close, then said, "I will help." Chichi washed while Dua dried. It was silent for a little while then Chichi asked, "Why is Freeza back?" "It's a long story. I doubt you would like to hear the story about me anyway. It's nothing special." "Sure I do. It can't be that boring, can it?" Meyin's voice came from the living room. "Dua?" Dua put down the dish she was drying. "Yes?" "I think Tehyin is waking up." Dua jogged to the living room to see Tehyin slowly getting up. "Teyin, you are awake!" Tehyin slowly blinked at the sun's rays. "Dua? Where are we? Where is the base?" "The base was destroyed. Rest, you still have a fever." "The base was destroyed? By who?" "It is a long story. Now  
rest." "No. Not until I get some answers." "You are as stubborn as your father. The base was destroyed by Freeza. You, our sister and I are the only survivors." "Where are we?" "Remember the stories of Goku?" "Yes." "We are at his house." Tehyin's eyes widened and his jaw dropped. "Are you serious?" Dua nodded. "He and his son, Gohan, just ran outside." Tehyin got up and walked to the window. He saw Goku and Gohan practicing in the yard. Tehyin watched for a minute, then turned to Dua and asked, "Did mother survive?" "No." Tehyin looked back out the window, the excitement on his face gone. 


	4. Confrontation

Strangers On The Horizon  
  
Part 4: Confrontation  
  
Two weeks later, Piccolo started to train Dua. He learned she was a very capable fighter. But what surprised him the most was her speed. It was almost unreal that a Super Sayian could move that fast. Her eyes were different too. They were almost unnatural. Her siblings had the same kind of eyes. He also noticed Dua's seemingly lack off emotions. The whole time they sparred, an emotionless face was all he saw. No smiles, no smirks, no frowns, no nothing. And, according to Goku, she's been like that for two weeks. What is she? Wondered Piccolo. Why is she like this? "I think that's enough for today." Piccolo landed on both feet. Dua landed on a knee and a hand and started to catch her breath. Once she did, she stood up. "Thanks for letting me train with you. I will see you tomorrow." "Wait." Dua turned to look at him. "You're different than the others. Why?" "I am female." "Besides that." "I do not want to bore you with a story about myself." "Try me." "I would much rather  
not." She flew off. "See you tomorrow." He took off after her. She looked over her shoulder, but did nothing to stop him. Halfway there, a small black dot appeared. It was Vegeta. As he got closer, it was obvious they were going to cross paths. It looked like they were going to run into each other, until both stopped just a few yards away from each other. Vegeta just looked at her with a look that clearly spoke his opinion. He hated her. Dua just looked at him. Piccolo stood ready, in case a fight broke out. They stood there for a moment, then, to Piccolo's relief, they both flew away, both flying the original direction they were heading. Piccolo continued to follow Dua. That was close. Vegeta has been known to hold a grudge. If he holds this grudge, having Dua and Vegeta in the same house could lead to a disaster. 


End file.
